As the Deputy will be aware, Maynooth Community College opened in 2014 with an Irish-medium Aonad and it was stated that should the Aonad demonstrate sufficient viability after four years from its date of establishment, a Gaelcholáiste would be established. As part of the Major School Building Projects announcement in November 2015 and in view of the continued support for an independent Gaelcholáiste, it was confirmed that a Gaelcholáiste to serve the North Kildare area will open in 2019, subject to the continued viability of the Irish-medium Aonad at Maynooth Community College.
Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board and An Foras Pátrúnachta are working through the practical arrangements to facilitate the establishment of the Gaelcholáiste and my Department will continue to work with them in this regard.
In relation to the Deputy's query on access to a specific Gaelcholáiste referenced in the details supplied, parents can choose which school to apply to and where places are available students should be admitted. The Department’s main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area.
Where schools are over-subscribed a selection process may be necessary. The selection process and enrolment policy must comply with The Education Act 1998 and the relevant sections of the Admissions Act 2018. The process must be non-discriminatory and be applied fairly.
Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department, or in the case of an Educational Training Board (ETB) school to the ETB in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the Board, refuses to enrol a student in a school, expels a student or suspends a student for 20 or more days in any school year. Further information on the Section 29 appeals process is available on the Department's website www.education.ie.
The Education Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS can be contacted at 01-7718500.
